The Governor of North Carolina has a duty to enforce state laws and to convene the legislature. The Governor may grant pardons except in cases of impeachment. For about 220 years the Governor had no power to vetobills passed by the North Carolina General Assembly, but a referendum in November 1996 altered the state's constitution, so that North Carolina ceased to be the only state whose governor lacked that power. There have been three Presidents and 69 Governors of North Carolina, with six Governors serving non-consecutive terms, totaling 78 terms in both offices. The current Governor is Democrat Roy Cooper, who took office on January 1, 2017.
North Carolina was one of the original thirteen colonies, and was admitted as a state on November 21, 1789. Prior to declaring its independence, North Carolina was a colony of the Kingdom of Great Britain. The 13-member Provincial Council, renamed the Council of Safety in April 1776, was essentially the executive authority during the second year of the Revolution, and was appointed by the Provincial Congress. The Presidency of the Council and the Presidency of the Congress could each be considered the highest offices in the state during this time, but the council was supreme when the congress was not in session.
Terms and backgrounds of the three men who served as president of the Provincial Council:
Name
County/town
Term
Length
Previous position
Governors of North Carolina
After the current state constitution was ratified in 1971, North Carolina Governors are limited to two consecutive four-year terms in office; they had previously been limited to one four-year term from 1835 through 1971. Additionally prior to 1835, North Carolina Governors were not popularly elected, and were instead selected by the state's General Assembly to serve one year terms. The Governors were also subject to strict term limits, and could only hold the office for three out of every six years, leading to many instances of short or nonconsecutive stints in office.
